Hypipsan
by iwandamonian
Summary: This is a compilation of 'episodes' with the Doctor no duh! and his new companion, Hypipsan. It's about 70 years after Donna and the like, and he comes across some pretty weird planets.
1. The Unknown Planet

It was a brand new planet, one the Doctor had never been to before

Disclaimer: Own nothing, wish I did but then, so do a lot of people. Anyway, hope you like it.

- - -

It was a brand new planet, one the Doctor had never been to before. He had absolutely no idea what is was called but he didn't really mind; an adventure was an adventure, no matter how it looked or sounded. He opened the TARDIS' front doors and was met with a monstrous heat wave.

"Blimey," he muttered. "Bit hot, eh?" Expecting a reply, he turned around but there was no one. Everyone was gone, and this time there was no one to fill the shoes. Sighing remorsefully, the Doctor began forward. The planet he had landed on was hot, with a burning red sky full of black ominous clouds. There were birds, large ones with long necks, but they just circled around on the heat spirals. The land beneath his Chucks was dark gravel, possibly brimstone, and it radiated heat. The Doctor decided to take off his coat, because he was beginning to sweat quite freely.

Looking around, he saw large boulders of the black rock, and on closer inspection, he saw that there were tiny drawings of swords, fire and a crown all carved into each one. It puzzled him and when he put his sonic screwdriver against it, it began fizzing and hissing and flashing brightly.

"That's odd," he said, momentarily forgetting he was alone. "It seems to react to my sonic screwdriver. Must be a compound in the rock. That's never happened before." Thinking, he stepped back and turned around. A flicker of movement caught his eye, and he frowned. "Hello?" he called, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Is anybody there?" A head poked out, a small child's, and the Doctor smiled. He walked forward a little but the child seemed spooked.

"No, no," the Doctor protested calmly. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to talk. Can you come out?"

There was no movement for a moment, and then the child appeared. It was a boy, thirteen years old probably, wearing a tatty black vest and dishevelled black pants. He wore no shoes, no jewellery and he didn't seem confident. But the thing that was the most astonishing was the boy's eyes; they were bright gold. And his hair, although longish, didn't cover his pointed ears. They reminded the Doctor of cat ears, and peering at the child, he saw that there was a tail hanging down between his legs.

"Hello, there," the Doctor greeted cheerfully. "You got a name?"

"The boy looked shocked for a moment, his gold cat eyes growing wide, and then he nodded, replying softly, "Nubellosyntacorus."

"All right," the Doctor said, frowning. "Got a shorter name?"

"Nubell," the boy replied, tentatively stepping forward. He seemed quite curious, and the Doctor smiled at that. "Who are you?" Nubell asked, stepping closer still.

"I'm the Doctor," the Time Lord replied. He looked around while Nubell examined him curiously. There was nothing around, only barren land and rocky terrain. His eyes widened slightly as he saw the large mountain, and narrowed then as he saw the black palace at the top. "Where are we? This isn't a place I've ever been to or even know about."

"I…" Nubell said softly, looking down at his dirty bare feet. "I don't know. No one knows where we are, and the ones who do are at the Palace."

"Then let's go ask them," the Doctor said, rearing to go.

"No!" Nubell cried, grabbing his wrist and dragging him behind the boulder. "You can't go up there," he hissed. "You'll never come back."

"What do you mean?"

Nubell suddenly looked very scared, and the Doctor frowned. It seemed that, once again, he had landed on a troubled planet. But he was determined to set it right, so he asked again, this time more kindly. Nubell seemed a little nervous but he seemed to want to talk.

"For several months, people from my clan have been disappearing. They'll come up here to investigate or to do a job and then they'll never come back. Everyone's scared that they'll be next, and no one comes up here anymore."

"Then why are you up here, wherever here is."

"I'm up here because I heard a strange noise. And then you arrived. How did you get here? Nobody comes to this place, at least not in the last few hundred years, according to the drawings."

"Oh, like those ones over there," the Doctor said, grinning. "So, where do you live?"

"I live underground a few miles from here. Would you like to see it?"

"Indeed I would," was the cheery reply. "Then I might be able to find out where I am."

- - -

It was hot and damp inside the cave, and the Doctor couldn't see anything. He was relying entirely on Nubell's perfect vision, and the teenage human cat was gripping his sleeve, leading him towards his clan's home. From what he'd said, the Doctor could deduce that there were about five thousand human cats living underground, and they'd been living there for centuries. They'd been herded unde the ground by the Slavers, as Nubell called them, and they were the ones who lived up in the black palace.

"So how far down are we?" the Doctor asked. "I'd say about two hundred feet by now."

"We're almost at three hundred feet, and there's about one hundred and fifty feet left. And then you'll get to see the greatest sight your eyes have ever seen."

"Oh, I highly doubt that. I've seen plenty of tings in my time, many of them great."

"But this is the best thing ever. Even _I_ still a little overwhelmed whenever I see it, and I was born there. It really is quite astonishing what our ancestors did with just their bare hands."

"So, your ancestors, hundreds of years ago, built a secret sanctuary for your clan to make sure they were safe from the Slavers. Is that right?"

"Yes."

"But why do the Slavers kidnap your clan?"

"Only the leaders know that answer."

"Then we'll just have to pay them a visit, won't we?" The Doctor grinned at Nubell but the teenager looked horrified. "What did I say?"

"The leaders don't like outsiders. They'll probably kill you on sight."

"Well, that's not good, is it? I'll just have to charm them, won't I?"

Nubell laughed. "I'm sure they'd appreciate that. Although, Admiral Chari might like you."

"Who is Admiral Chari and why would she like me?" The Doctor frowned as he began to sweat a lot more, and he saw a dim red glow off in the far distance.

"She's the one who's leading us right now. She has been since her father died a few years ago, and she's really amazing. She good at everything! Fighting, tactics, shooting, throwing, weaving, cooking, cleaning, _everything_!"

"Oh," the Doctor said, making a strained and unbelieving face. "So, she won't let the other leaders kill me, right? Because, I really don't want to get killed, at least not here."

"Well, if you tell her you mean no harm, she might listen. But sometimes she gets really angry because of her sister."

"She has a sister?" asked the Doctor. "Who is she?"

"Nobody knows because Admiral Chari wants to keep her out of the public eye."

"Why?"

"I just said nobody knows and you ask me why?" Nubell looked up at the Doctor even though he couldn't see and then shook his head. "Visitors are so strange."

"There's been more than one?"

"No. Why?"

"Well, you sound like you get visitors all the time, the way you say we're strange. Have there been other visitors in the last few days, weeks, months, years…centuries?"

"Not that anyone's told me about, and they're a rarity so everyone would know or want to know about it."

"I see your logic," the Doctor said, and then frowned. _I sound like a Dalek,_ he thought, shaking his head.

"Yes, well, you might ask Admiral Chari about her but you'll probably get her angry and you might die."

"Well, that would be a bad thing." The Doctor scratched his head thoughtfully. "So, Admiral Chari has a secret sister, there's a secret sanctuary and there's kidnapping going on. Sounds like a real mystery."

"Yes, it does." Nubell was a little distant, and the Doctor asked why. "We're nearly there."

"Oh, goodie," the Doctor said cheerfully. "Let's go meet the clan!"

Nubell laughed as the red glow became a bright flame and suddenly there was light everywhere, blinding light. The Doctor couldn't see for over ten seconds, and when he did regain the ability to see, he was amazed by what he saw. They were standing in a large cavern, filled with smaller caverns and crevices. But what amazed him the most was the sheer numbers of the human cats. There were thousands of them, all milling around. Some were carrying baskets, others infants, but most were carrying weapons; spears, bows and arrows, even swords. Each and every one of them had different facial appearances, some with long cat ears, and others with cat faces but all of them had tails, though they all varied.

"Wow," the Doctor said, looking around and stuffing his hands in his pocket now that Nubell had dropped his sleeve. "That's…pretty incredible. And they did all this by _hand!_ Amazing!"

"Not all of it," said a sudden new voice. The Doctor looked around and saw a group of approaching human cats. There was a young woman in the lead wearing black pants, a black shirt and a black coat. Looking around, the Doctor noticed that everyone was wearing black, even new borns.

"Hello," the Doctor greeted, grinning. "You must be Admiral Chari."

"And who told you that?" She looked around her late twenties, early thirties, and she had long dark brown hair pulled into a plait. She was average height and her golden eyes were boring into his.

"That would be this fine young chap." The Doctor smiled down at Nubell, who seemed frozen to the spot.

"Nubell?" Admiral Chari asked, looking down at him expectantly. "Did you tell him who I was?"

"I told him _about_ you, but he couldn't have guessed it was _you_. Please don't kill him."

"I wasn't going to," Admiral Chari said, frowning. "I was going to ask who he was. But before that, how did you get here? We haven't had visitors in centuries."

"I'm the Doctor, and I came here for a vacation."

"From?"

"Uh…danger? Trouble? Life?"

"I see," Admiral Chari said, smirking. "And have you been anywhere else since you got here?"

"Nope," replied the Doctor, looking up at the stalactites. The cavern was very high, probably a mile high, and there were other little caverns all over the place. "Came straight here, courtesy of Nubell. Where are we?"

- - -

After meeting all of the leaders and being introduced to a few of Nubell's friends, the Doctor was taken to Admiral Chari's own cave. It had a comfortable feeling to it, and there was a burning incense stick in the corner near the door. There were two beds, which was odd, and then there was a table that might seat three if pushed. Drawings and inscriptions were carved into the wall everywhere, ones that resembled pain and misery, fire and torture.

"Remarkable drawings," he commented as Admiral Chari pulled off her coat. "Who drew them? You, or your sister?"

He stiffened as he felt something cold against his throat, and looked down at the young human cat. She was glaring at him, daring him to go on.

"Who told you about her?" she asked.

"Nubell, but only as a trifling subject."

"What do you know?" she hissed, her eyes flaring dangerously. "Did they send you to get her?"

"Who?" the Doctor asked. "The Slavers?" He scoffed. "No! Why would work for someone who kidnap innocent cats? It seems immoral to me, because I don't like wrong-doers."

"Then why are you asking questions about her?"

"I was only curious," he replied honestly. "Besides, I'm more interested in why I don't know where I am. Do you know where we are?"

"Yes, I do," Admiral Chari replied, withdrawing her blade and sticking it back in its sheath. "We're on a very isolated planet. No one comes here because they don't know it exists."

"What is it?"

"It's called Felinia, named so after our ancestors' true name, Feline." She shrugged. "Personally, I think it's a rather unimaginative name. It might have been something brilliant, or something possibly more interesting."

"Sounds…catty," the Doctor said, earning a small laugh from her. "So, why are you living underground? Nubell told me briefly that it's to protect you from the Slavers, but surely there must be another reason why."

"I don't know the reason why we're down here except for the purpose of being safe from the Slavers. But it's home, and everyone likes it down here. It's nice and warm, just the way we like it."

"So, your ancestors build this sanctuary to keep you safe from the Slavers, but surely these kidnappings haven't been going on for centuries, have they?"

"They've been going on for all of the history that's been recorded. Our ancestors couldn't write, so they drew on the walls and boulders above."

"Are you still drawing?"

"Oh, yes," replied Admiral Chari. "Everyone draws on the walls, telling of their lives and their adventures. My sister draws the most."

"Why?" asked the Doctor, leaning closer to the drawings of torture. There was a knife and a body, and it seemed to represent something.

There was a slight pause and then she replied in a dark voice, "Because of the things she's seen and what has happened to her."

"And they would be?"

"Asking personal questions is very rude," came a dull voice, making the Doctor jump slightly. "Especially when the person is right there with you." He slowly turned around and raised an eyebrow when he saw a young woman leaning against the wall, staring at him with bright gold eyes. Compared to everyone else, she seemed completely human, except for her eyes.

"I didn't think you'd be back until later tonight," Admiral Chari said, looking at, presumably, her sister. "Why did you come back earlier?"

"I heard a noise, and went to investigate." The young black haired woman stood up and walked towards the Doctor, her arms crossed over her chest. "I saw the Slavers, carrying away a large blue box."

"Oh, that's just terrific," the doctor said sarcastically. "Now I have to go up there to get the TARDIS back."

"You went above?" Admiral Chari asked incredulously. "How many times have I told you not to go up there? Remember what happened the last time you went up there?"

"How could I forget?" the woman hissed, baring her teeth. They were very sharp and pointy. "Everyday I am reminded of what they did. Right now, even looking at _you_, I remember everything that happened."

"So," the Doctor interrupted, looking the new human cat up and down. "How did they know about my ship?"

"They heard it too," the young woman snapped. "The slaves up there are forced to listen for anything, and they heard your box, all the way from the top." She turned her golden eyes back on him and smirked. "You're not one of them or us." She walked closer and leaned towards him, balancing on the balls of her feet. She sniffed him, and then frowned. "You don't smell right," she said suddenly.

"That's not nice," the Doctor remarked, pretending to be hurt. "A total stranger and you say I smell bad?"

"I said not right. You smell fine apart from that."

"Right, well, guess I'll just have to change my soap. Don't think Home Brand cuts it anymore. Maybe I'll try Aloe Vera or mint."

"Who are you?" the young woman snapped, glaring at him.

"I'm the Doctor."

"Yes, about that." Two sets of eyes fell on Admiral Chari, and she frowned. "What exactly are you a doctor of? Medicine? Psychology? Dentistry?"

"Are you having a go at my teeth?"

"Your teeth are fine," the cat clan's leader replied irritably.

"They're better than fine, I'd say. I actually quite like these teeth, thank you very much." The Doctor ran his tongue over his teeth and then grinned, showing them how fine they were.

"Back to my original question, please," Admiral Chari snapped, glaring at him. "Doctor who?"

"Just the Doctor," came his nonchalant reply. It was always amazing when he met knew people, because they were bound to ask that question, if a little altered, but it would always come up when he introduced himself.

"So, you travel in a blue box, your name is the Doctor, and you smell off."

"You know," the Doctor said, looking at Admiral Chari's sister with a pained expression, "saying someone smells off isn't going to do them a world of good. It's like stepping on a snail then saying sorry." He pulled a face. "What's the point?"

"What's a snail?" asked the sister, staring at him curiously. "And why would you step on it?"

"That's exactly my point," he replied, his eyes blazing excitedly. "What's the point in saying I smell off?"

"I am trying to figure out what you want. I know you said you were on vacation but why anyone would come here is beyond me."

"Were you listening in all conversation?" the Time Lord asked, horrified. "That's terribly rude."

"So is talking behind peoples backs," the sister replied, giving the admiral a foul glare. "Curiosity is bad for anyone, especially visitors from beyond."

"'Visitors from beyond'," the Doctor repeated, smiling. "I like that."

"Pardon me," said a voice from the cave entrance. Everyone turned to look at one of the leaders, Golt. He was old, greying but still very coarse. "Admiral Chari, we need your advice. Something has delayed the plans and we fear that it might not work in time."

"It has to," Admiral Chari exclaimed. "How was it delayed?"

Golt looked at his admiral's sister. "Your sister seems to have trodden on an important part of the plan and it's been damaged quite severely."

Admiral Chari looked at her sister, horrified beyond words. "Is this true?" she asked in a hushed voice. "Did you stand on it?"

"I thought it was just part of the tunnel," was the casual reply. She was inspecting her nails, and the Doctor noticed how sharp they were.

"That tunnel is off limits," Admiral Chari said through gritted teeth. "You should know that."

"I got lost." The look on her face was purely innocent but Admiral Chari saw right through it.

"Don't lie to me, Hypipsan!" she roared.

Her sister looked immediately rueful, and she hung her head. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "But I told you if you proceed with your plan, I would do something to stop it."

"We've had this discussion before," Admiral Chari hissed. "You _know_ that's treason to the cause!"

"The death with the cause!" Hypipsan shouted back. "You know the Slavers will have anticipated this so why are you going ahead? They'll kill everyone, and if not them than your cursed plan. You don't know how fragile it is, or what might happen if you miscalculate."

"And do you know, little sister?" There was going to be a fully-fledged fight in a minute if things were going to carry on the way they were going. "Do you know what will happen if we proceed? No! How could you? All you do is sulk around in the caves, spaying and listening to private conversations!" The admiral stalked towards her sister and stuck her face in hers. "So stop trying to delay us. We are doing this for the benefit of every cat down here in the cavern, and for the sake of those who were taken as slaves. Surely you don't want anyone else to go through the horror of that?"

Hypipsan seemed defeated, and she bowed her hand in submission. "Forgive me, sister," she whispered. "I will not get in the way."

"Good," the other cat grunted. "Now let's go and see if it can be repaired. You stay here with the Doctor and make sure he doesn't try sabotaging anything."

"Why would I do that?" The Doctor asked in exasperation as the human cats left. They ignored him and left, leaving him alone with a humbled human cat. She backed up until she was sitting on the edge of a bed and then she looked up at him, her gold eyes clouded by tears.

"They're all going to die," she said, staring at him meaningfully. "If they go ahead with the plan, they'll all burn, just like other worlds."

"Why do you say that?" the Doctor asked, intrigued. He walked over to her and kneeled down in front of her, staring up into her glowing orbs. "Have you foreseen something?"

"I do not possess the skill of foresight," she replied, smiling a little. "I only know what I have been shown."

"Someone showed you?" She nodded. "Who?" She wouldn't answer. No matter how hard he pestered her, she wouldn't yield to his question. So he gave up and went back to examining her drawings. "You're quite the artist," he remarked, looking at the one of a burning sphere. "Do you draw what you see?"

Hypipsan came to stand beside him and she ran her fingers over her drawing. "I have drawn everything I have been shown, laying down proof that the plan will fail and destroy us all but Chari won't listen. She is blinded by the power of the plan, and I'm losing her to it. Before it used to be us and Father, but he died when the Slavers attacked one of our water holes. Then she became Admiral, and she's been turned into a killing machine. All she does is think about how she can next kill some unsuspecting Slaver or how she can infiltrate the palace so she can use the plan."

"What is the plan?" the Doctor asked, frowning. "Is it a weapon?"

"Yes. It draws its power from the heat, and it breathes out flame, burning everything in its path."

"What part did you stand on?"

Hypipsan smirked and then looked at him sideways. "I didn't stand on anything," she said cheekily. "I damaged the mouth by closing it, so now they have no way of letting it kill anyone."

"But how have you been shown the destruction of other worlds?" the Doctor wanted to know.

"They had a machine that produced an image in the water, and in that I saw the fate of three worlds." She looked remorseful again. "If it goes ahead, this will be the fourth and final world."

"What do you mean by 'final'?"

"It will destroy both the Slavers and the Cat Clan." A single tear ran down her dirty face. "We're all going to burn."

- - -

Yeah, I know I have a lot of outstanding stories that need finishing, but I've been watching Doctor Who for the past couple of weeks and I am really sick with the girls he chooses, except Donna; she's cool. So, this is one of those stories without any familiar characters, save the Doctor. Hopefully, you'll like it and want to see it go on after this 'episode' is over. Please, during or at the end of the three chapters, write a message and tell me if it's a yes or a no, and I'll go from there.


	2. The Plan

When Admiral Chari came back, she was quite surprised to see her little sister smiling at the Doctor as he drew little sketche

When Admiral Chari came back, she was quite surprised to see her little sister smiling at the Doctor as he drew little sketches on a piece of paper he'd fished out of his pocket. He drew fish, lots of different ones, but they were all terribly drawn. They still hadn't noticed the Clan Leader, and Hypipsan took the pencil from him to draw on the paper. She drew a picture of an animal cat holding a fish in its mouth, and she showed it to the Doctor.

"Wow!" he exclaimed. "You're really good."

"After many years, I ought to be," she said, grinning.

"I see you two have gotten well acquainted," Admiral Chari remarked, startling them. She then flopped down onto her bed and kicked off her shoes.

"Not really," the Doctor said, shrugging. "We mainly just talked about history and space…and drew fish."

"And what would my little sister know of history and space?" Admiral Chari said bitingly, making Hypipsan lower her head shame-faced. "She never leaves the caves to see the stars, and she never payed attention when the history lessons were on for us." She gave her sister a scornful look and then closed her eyes and rested her head on her hard looking pillow. "Tomorrow, the plan will go ahead. We fixed your little problem and I'm going to make sure you don't get anywhere near it again. Now," she said sleepily, her eyes remaining closed, "I'm going to bed. Doctor, I'll have someone show you to an uninhabited cave where you can rest."

"I will take him," Hypipsan piped up, but she still didn't raise her head. "I won't go near the plan, I promise."

Admiral Chari pondered the idea and then agreed, almost instantly falling asleep. Hypipsan and the Doctor left quietly, turning right and travelling down some roughly made stairs. The Doctor stared Hypipsan's back all the way, trying to figure out what was so odd about her. She wasn't like the others in her clan, that was for sure, and it was quite alarming when they came to a crowded area. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at them when they passed. At first the Doctor thought they were staring at him but then he noticed how uncomfortable Hypipsan looked.

Once out of the throng, she stopped and looked back; everyone was standing in groups, whispering and glancing her way, like she was some sort of alien.

"Hypipsan?" the Doctor asked, noticing her mournful eyes.

"You can call me Pip," she said, grinning at him though her eyes were sad.

"Pip," the Doctor tested and then smiled. "I like it! So, where's this cave I'm supposed to be resting in for the night?"

"Near the ruins," Pip replied dully. Seeing his intrigued expression, she smiled and continued. "The ruins are the place were we all once lived, including the Slavers."

"You used to live together?" asked the astounded Doctor.

"A very long time ago. But then they found a new weapon, one like the plan, and it turned them evil. They destroyed our home and the cat clan had to flee underground. Then the kidnapping began; everyone was petrified to go outside."

"Why don't the Slavers just come down here and get you?"

"Do you want them to?"

"I was only asking," he mumbled.

Pip grinned. "They can't stand the heat. And we love it, so it serves two purposes."

"So, this plan," the Doctor wanted to know, "what exactly is it? Is it alive?"

"I'll show you," Pip said, turning right onto another narrower tunnel. It amazed the Doctor to see torches burning everywhere, nailed into the walls and lighting the way.

"Didn't you promise not to?" asked the Doctor suspiciously. "Won't your sister get angry with you?"

"It's not like she can do anything, can she? And no doubt she'll have posted guards at the entrance, but there are other ways in. Routes she doesn't know about from long ago that everyone has forgotten about."

"Do you know all the forgotten paths?"

"Yes," replied Pip, pride entering her voice. "I can slip into the darkness and walk around without anyone knowing I'm there. That's how I managed to see the Slavers, and to sneak up behind you and Admiral Chari."

"Why aren't you on first name basis with your sister?"

"Because she's too busy figuring out how to destroy our world. She's become a completely different cat." Pip sighed as she climbed some uneven steps. He still couldn't figure out what was different about her. "But putting that aside, what do you think I should do about the plan? I'm torn between saving the clan and being a good sister. Which do you think I should do?"

"Why not both?" the Doctor suggested, staring at her back. Pip slowed to walk beside him, and gave him a quizzical look.

"Both, you say?" The Doctor nodded, his eyes travelling all over her face and neck. "How could I do that, though? To be a good sister, I have to stay away from the plan but that means the clan is at risk."

"Obeying Admiral Chari won't make you a good sister," the Doctor said wisely. "Doing what's _right_ for her will. And you seem pretty sure that the plan has somehow invaded her mind and changed her. It seems pretty clear to me what you should do, Pip," he concluded, giving her a serious look.

"I see," Pip said, awed by his powerful words. "In that case, we'd better get to the plan before you're missed."

"Don't you mean 'we' instead of 'you'?" asked the Doctor, frowning as he followed her. She stopped in her tracks and looked back at him with sad gold eyes.

"No one misses an outcast," she said, smiling ruefully.

- - -

It took them fifteen minutes to reach the tunnel leading to the plan, and then another three for Pip to locate the secret tunnel. It was hidden behind a large boulder, so anyone walking by would just overlook it.

"So, it's down there, is it?" asked the Doctor, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and pointing it down the tunnel. The readings baffled him. "That's strange," he said, frowning and pointing the screwdriver into the darkness again.

"What is that?" Pip asked, her voice wavering from fright. "Is it like the plan?"

"No," the Doctor replied, distracted. "It's my sonic screwdriver, and it is picking up a lot of disturbing chemicals."

"That would be the substance the plan excretes," Pip explained, looking over her shoulder. "Get into the tunnel; there are guards coming."

Sure enough, two guards came round the corner just as the Doctor and Pip finished hiding. They watched silently as the guards looked around and listened, and they sighed when they left. Pip sniffed the air with her sensitive nose and then whispered to the Doctor, "This way."

He followed her into the blackness, and immediately tripped on a rock jutting out. "Pip," he called. "Where are you?" Glowing eyes turned to meet him, and he grinned. "Don't suppose you might be interested in lending me your arm for a moment?"

"I don't think so," she remarked, and he heard her frowning. "Just use your screwdriver to light the way; it's light will be sufficient."

"Oh, yeah," the Doctor said, thinking himself an idiot for not thinking of that first.

"By the way," Pip continued as the Doctor joined her side, "what's a screwdriver?"

The Doctor laughed at her question and they continued on in silence. After a few minutes, the Doctor no longer needed his screwdriver, as there was an eerie purple light coming from up ahead. Pip seemed a little nervous, as she'd dropped back to walk behind him instead of being in the lead. Once they were out of the secret tunnel, they found themselves standing on a ledge above a grey machine that was sucking in black liquid and spitting out purple. It made a whirring sound as it changed the chemical, and it was the purple substance that had the Doctor grinding his teeth in anger.

"That stuff," he said through clenched teeth, "is illegal everywhere. What's it doing here?"

"What is it?" Pip asked, staring at the mesmerising swirls in the purple liquid. "It makes my nostrils burn and gives me a headache."

"It's a bio-chemical," he explained, anger slowly rising. "It's called nitro-psymiosa and it should have been destroyed a long time ago, along with its creators."

"And they would be?"

"The Turjak."

"So, these Turjak created this substance and then stuck it on our planet?" Pip asked, kneeling down on the ground and peering over the purple liquid. "Why would they do that?"

"I don't know, Pip, but whatever the reason, it can't be good. Your clan, your planet, is in great danger. You have to shut down this machine or else everything will go up once it stops converting." He looked down at her to see her reaching out to touch the purple liquid, and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her away just as a tendril shot out of the liquid to grab her.

"Stay away from that!" he commanded angrily. She looked up at him, seeing the ferocity in his eyes, and then looked back at the purple liquid. It was slowly returning to its normal shape, instead of a tendril jutting out, and she stared at it, her eyes wide with shock and fright.

"Why did it do that?" she whispered fearfully.

"Because you're alive, and it wants your life force. That's what it does; it kills you and takes your life force, then manipulates it into a weapon. I thought it had been eradicated a long time ago, so why is it here?"

"What's that?" Pip asked quietly, staring ahead at the wall opposite. The Doctor followed her gaze and saw what she saw: drawings. He couldn't make them out, but it seemed Pip could.

"What do they say?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. She jumped at the contact and stared at him incredulously, like he'd tried to grope her.

"Uh," she said, looking back to the drawings, "they tell of a great ship coming to land here centuries ago, and that its inhabitants were cruel and vicious. They pretended to befriend us, and then they turned against us, throwing us into a vat of bubbling liquid."

"The nitro-psymiosa," the Doctor said.

Pip nodded and then continued translating. "But something went wrong. The nitro-psymiosa became unstable and it killed the visitors, then hid here." She frowned and stepped closer to the edge; the Doctor grabbed her wrist to keep her from going too close. "Why has no one seen this before?" she asked, staring at the pictures. "Why did no one think to question the strange glowing liquid, when its smell is so foul and toxic?" She blanched and slowly turned to face him. She had figured out what had happened to her sister. "She's been poisoned," she murmured, staring at him with unseeing eyes. "The nitro-psymiosa has poisoned her because she's always around it."

She gasped, and hurriedly pushed the Doctor back into the tunnel they had come from. It was also camouflaged against sight, looking like no more than a thin crack in the wall. She covered his mouth and pressed him against the rock wall, her whole body tense.

"Did you hear someone?" asked Admiral Chari's voice. It was coming from the toxic cave, and other cats were with her. "There's no one here."

"I swear there was," a guard said, searching around for the intruder. "I heard people talking, and then something roared. I think it was the plan."

"Nonsense," growled Golt. "The plan doesn't roar; why would it?"

"Perhaps it didn't like being threatened," Admiral Chari suggested. "Perhaps someone tried to touch it and it got frightened. It's just like a hurt animal; threaten it and it becomes hostile."

"You're saying that stuff is alive?" asked the second guard.

"Don't call it stuff!" Chari roared, turning on him and scratching him along the cheek. "It's more alive than you or me could ever be, and it's going to save us. Now leave." They were about to when the nitro-psymiosa growled, and Chari grabbed one guard's arm. "Wait," she commanded. "Guard in here, so that you can catch the intruders when they come back."

"Yes, Admiral," the cat said, saluting with his weapon. Three cats left, leaving one to guard the liquid. After a few minutes, he slouched against the wall, scowling at the purple goo. "You stink," he said bitterly, glaring at it. "Why is Admiral Chari so obsessed with you?"

As if in answer, a large glob of the purple stuff rose up from its spot and slowly moved towards him. Frightened, the cat began waving his weapon around, trying to deter the liquid. But it just melted his sword, and he gulped as it stopped right in front of his face. It seemed to be watching him, and when he opened his mouth to call for help, it shot forward into the open cavity. His scream turned into a gurgle as the nitro-psymiosa ran down his throat, taking away his life force, just as the Doctor said. When the liquid went back to its original home, all that was left of the guard was his clothing and skeleton.

A few feet away, Pip thought she was going to throw up, and the Doctor gently took her hand to draw her away. Her legs didn't seem to want to move and she couldn't look away from away from the smoking pile of bones and cloth. The Doctor tenderly turned her head away to look at him, and she gasped as she realised how sad he looked.

"Now you know what nitro-psymiosa does when it gets you," he said softly. "Come on; we have to go or they'll figure out where we were."

Pip remained dazed the whole journey back, and the Doctor had to ask for directions from a passing cat to find his resting cave. When he got there, he sat Pip down on his slab-like bed and stared into he glazed eyes. Slowly, he rubbed her temples till she focused and stared at him with wide, frightened gold orbs.

"It killed him," she whispered. "It killed him right in front of me, and it would have done the same to me if you hadn't rescued me."

"Pip, it's all right," the Doctor cooed, trying to calm her. He wrapped his arms around her but instead of her doing the same, she stiffened and leaned away from him.

"What are you doing?" she asked, shocked. "Nobody hugs me, and no one should."

"But-"

"You don't know what you do when you hug me," Pip said, growing angry. "You think you know everything when you come here, but you know nothing!"

"I was only-"

"You don't know anything!" Pip yelled, leaping to her feet and glaring at him. The Doctor frowned as he saw a small trace of purple around her irises, and he took a quick breath in surprise.

"Pip," he said seriously, but she didn't want to listen.

"Don't you call me Pip!" she shouted, balling her fists. "People like you don't get to call me something so intimate!"

"Pip, you've been poisoned!"

She was quiet immediately, and stared at him, paralysed by fear. "Help me," she whimpered, starting to shake. "Get it out of me."

"You have to trust me," the Doctor said, standing right in front of her. "You have to do exactly as I say, and only then will you have a chance of surviving." Pip nodded, and the Doctor touched her temples again. "I need you to think of something very powerful, something that makes you happy throughout your entire body. Can you do that?" Again, she nodded. "Nitro-psymiosa controls you by turning every thought negative, and it gets into you when you think of something depressing, sad, or angry."

Ever so slowly, he began massaging her temples and she closed her eyes, concentrating hard on her chosen memory; coincidentally, it was one of her sister, when she'd come for her five years ago. She'd felt so relieved and happy that she'd started crying. The Doctor saw her memory, and frowned but didn't stop massaging. He only stopped when Pip suddenly sighed and swayed on her feet.

"There we go," he said, catching her as she collapsed. "You're better now."

"Doctor," Pip said, her ear pressed to his chest, "you have two hearts."

"I do, don't I?" he asked, making her grin.

"They sound off when they beat," she said, growing quiet. "Does it feel any different when only one works?"

"It feels like I have no strength," he replied, remembering his meeting Shakespeare and having one heart stopped. That had been one hectic trip, and he would be glad if something like that never happened again. "I don't see how anyone can walk around and not feel weird with only one heart."

Pip sighed and pulled out of his embrace; she'd never admit that she liked his hugs, although anyone's would have been nice. "I should be going," she said, walking towards the entrance. "Admiral Chari is probably wondering where I am."

"You'll be careful around her, won't you?" Pip looked over her shoulder and saw him staring at her, his gaze full of concern. "She might try something while under its control, and I don't want you getting hurt."

"Thank you for your concern," she said, smiling gratefully. "I'll be careful, I promise."

The Doctor nodded and she left, leaving him to try and sleep on a very uncomfortable bed. It felt like a rock, and when he actually lifted the sheet, he found that it was rock, shaped into a bed. Sighing, he tried to sleep but none came to him. He couldn't get his mind off the nitro-psymiosa, and the drawings Pip had described. Thinking of her, he tried to figure out what was so different about her from the others, and why they ignored and shunned her. He knew she was a very sly cat, and that she looked more human than others, but that was nothing to ostracise her for. He decided that it must have something to do with what had happened to her. In the morning, he would ask her what happened to her.

- - -

He was stiff and his back felt like it was trying to knot itself into a bow; sleeping on a rock had not been fun. Getting up, the Doctor's back creaked and groaned, complaining of the strain. Moaning, he stretched back and forward, his spine cracking all the time. He sighed happily as all the kinks were taken out and then looked down at his watch. Then, suddenly, the ground began shaking, and he frowned. There could only be one thing causing that much disturbance: the nitro-psymiosa. He sprinted out of the cave and went straight for Admiral Chari's cave, where he'd tell her he knew all about it. Of course, that would mean he'd expose Pip as his guide but in order to save the clan, he was sure she wouldn't mind. He got there in five minutes, and came face to face with Golt.

"Oh, uh…I was after Admiral Chari," the Doctor said, a little nervous under the old cat's dangerous glare.

"She's not seeing anyone right now; come back in a few hours." Another tremor, and the Doctor grew impatient.

"It can't wait!" he yelled in exasperation, and pushed his way past. Inside the cave, he gasped as he saw Pip lying on the floor, a small cut above her collarbone. Had her sister tried to cut her throat? Admiral Chari was nowhere to be seen, so the Doctor rushed to the young cat's side.

"Pip," he called, shaking her shoulders slightly. She slowly opened her eyes and stared at him with dull gold eyes. "You're all right," he said, sighing and sitting down on his backside. "Did Chari attack you?"

Pip thought for a moment and then shook her head, but she stopped and then gasped. "She tried to cut my throat, but it wasn't her. Her face looked so different, and she was glowing. But then she seemed to come back, the _real_ Chari, and she tried to stop herself from hurting me." Tears started forming in her eyes and she gripped the front of the Doctor's suit. "She's still in there, Doctor! Chari is still in there, buried under the poison!"

"Where did she go, Pip?" asked the Doctor, smiling at her kindly. "Do you know where she went?"

"She went up," was the reply. "She went upwards to the surface to meet with the Slavers, I think."

"Why would she do that?" the Doctor pondered, frowning in bafflement. "If she wants to attack the Slavers, why does she meet with them first?" His eyes widened slightly as realisation hit him. "Pip, what do the Slavers look like?"

"What makes you think I've ever seen them?" she retorted, fear in her eyes.

"You said you saw them taking away the TARDIS, so you must have." The Doctor was quite frantic know, running his hands through his hair, mussing it up. "What did they look like?"

"They had their hoods up," she responded bitterly. "But they're really tall, and large. And they smell horrible."

"How do you know that?"

"The wind was blowing my way," she explained, sitting up and crossing her legs. "So, what are we going to do?"

"'We'?" asked the Doctor, looking at her in confusion. "What we?"

Pip took a deep breath and said quickly, "I'm coming with you."

"Now hang on a minute! You don't like going to the surface, or so says your sister, so why are going now?"

"Chari may be poisoned but she's still my sister, and I won't let her get tortured by the Slavers. No one deserves to go through what they do."

"Wait, you know what they do?" The Doctor was missing something vital, something that would explain her oddness and the way everyone treated her. It would also explain why she was sometimes so sad or frightened.

"Yes, I do," she replied, and said no more. Having no other choice, the Doctor let Pip come with him but he made her promise not to do anything rash. They made their way to the surface, using one of her secret tunnels so no one would see them. Pip was quite agile, leaping from one rock to another on all fours while the Doctor had to climb using human methods. It got a lot cooler when they reached the surface, and it was raining; Pip pulled a face when the Doctor said they'd have to go out in it.

"Don't like the rain," she muttered as they loped out into the open area. They ran between boulders, Pip using her heightened senses to track the Slavers. They ran past the spot where the TADRIS should have been, and the Doctor gritted his teeth; he didn't like it when it got stolen.

"There they are," Pip whispered, and he followed her gaze. There was a cluster of black-cloaked figures standing halfway up the mountain, heading up towards the black palace, and they seemed to be following a smaller figure. "It's Chari," Pip said, fighting the urge to pound up there and steal her back to the caves where it was safe. "Why are they following her?"

"How do we get up there?" the Doctor asked, ignoring her question. He didn't want to tell her the bad news.

"We have to go up the way they are," Pip replied, noticing him casting her apologetic glances every few seconds. "It's the only safe path up. Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"Well, I found these pictures a few weeks ago describing this hidden path that the Slavers know nothing about. It leads up into the dungeons of the castle, and then we can find our way from there."

"How hard is the climb?" the Doctor asked.

"Well," Pip said, trying to recall what the pictures had looked like, "I think the pictures said it was following a lava flow, and that there were pit-holes everywhere."

"Great," the Doctor said, suddenly feeling depressed. "Oh, well. Anything that will help save your clan and sister from facing death."

Pip nodded her agreement, and they set off for the hidden path. It was behind two boulders that seemed like entrance markings, and Pip first scanned the drawings etched into them; they spoke of lava and pit-holes, just like she'd remembered. The Doctor sighed as they stood next to the lava river, sweat trickling down his face and back.

"So, this is the path?" he asked, already knowing it was.

"Yes," replied Pip, staring at it. She was sweating but she seemed fine with running across the rocks that were less than two feet wide. "It will be a lot quicker going this way than following the Slavers; we may even get there before them." She paused, and then said, "Or we might fall into the lava and die a horrible death."

"Are you always this optimistic?" the Doctor asked, frowning at her.

"It's something I've come to pick up in the last few years," Pip said sadly. "Never be optimistic when the situation is hopeless."

"That's pretty silly," the Doctor said, walking towards the river's edge. "Hope can get people a very long way, even in death situations." He smiled back at her. "Trust me; I know all about hope."

- - -

Hopping from rock to rock, the pair zigzagged their way up the mountain, all the while catching p to the ascending Slavers and cat. It was quite tiring jumping from each rock to the next, and soon the Doctor and Pip were exhausted. Luckily, the end of the rocks was in sight, and they put in some extra enthusiasm to get them there.

"Now we just have to be wary of the pit-holes," Pip panted as they began making their way across a field of dried brimstone.

"Yeah," the Doctor agreed, wheezing. "Else we'll all die."

"Thank you for trying to be cheery," Pip said sarcastically, looking at him unbelievingly.

"You're most welcome, dear Pip." He grinned at her but she wasn't looking at him. She leapt to the side just as the rock beneath her bare feet collapsed, and a hole appeared. She looked back at him and warned him to be careful. He nodded and followed in her wake, stepping where she stepped. He knew he could trust her to not mislead him, and to find the safest path, and she lived up to his expectations. They reached the tunnel leading into the palace dungeons with little drama; Pip had nearly fallen down to her death but the Doctor had caught her in time.

"You have to be extra careful here," Pip said forebodingly. "The Slavers have eyes and ears in the walls, and they'll know we're here if we aren't careful. Now, when we get into the dungeons, they'll be no Slavers around but a lot of cages with kidnapped cats in them. Are we going to free them?"

"How do you know all this?" the Doctor asked, astounded by her knowledge of the black palace. "Have you been here before?"

Pip averted her gaze so he wouldn't see the sadness in her eyes, and she slowly nodded. "But we have to hurry. Chari is in danger and we're here yabbering on about unimportant issues."

"But issues nonetheless," the Doctor said, frowning. Pip didn't say anything and began climbing up through the tunnel. It took the pair ten minutes to navigate their way through the maze of sharp rocks and slippery ledges but they finally made it. Something was blocking the way, and nothing Pip did would make it budge even the slightest bit.

"Let me," the Doctor said, frustrated by her pointless attempts. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and ran it along the seam of the trapdoor; it clicked and then hissed, and he was able to push it up. Just as Pip had said, there were no guards anywhere, so it was clear for them to climb out. The Doctor helped Pip out, as he was first, and then he froze as he heard something. It sounded like someone calling out to him, and when he turned around, he was met by dozens upon dozens of kidnapped cats. When they saw him, they all began clambering to the front of their cages, all reaching out to him. They gasped when they saw Pip, and then shouted her name.

"How do they know you?" asked the Doctor, looking at her. She was staring at the cages, her eyes filling with tears as she saw how poorly the cats looked. Most of them looked like twigs, and they all were filthy and hurt. There was a large range in age, some being old and some younger than twelve, but all had gotten the same treatment.

"Hypipsan!" an old woman cried, her voice audible over the rest. "Hypipsan, I never thought I'd see you again! Not after what they did to you! I thought they killed you!"

"What are they talking about?" the Doctor asked, looking at the stunned Pip. "Pip, you have to tell me! If it's something that might help me, you have to tell me!"

"It's…unimportant," she whispered vehemently.

"Pip," the Doctor said sternly.

"Never mind," she hissed. "We have to find Chari and the Slavers before they destroy the planet. Now hurry up!"

"Please!" cried the kidnapped cats. "Help us! Let us out!"

"All right," the Doctor said. He took out his sonic screwdriver and zapped the locks. The cage doors opened and all the caged human cats burst free, running towards any possible exit. The old cat latched onto Pip and began babbling about nothing, saying that she was so sorry for what had happened to her and that she should have been kinder. The Doctor stared at them, and noticed once again that Pip was different from these cats but he still couldn't put his finger on what. It was right on the tip of his tongue but suddenly, there were Slavers everywhere, trying to recapture the escaped cats.

"Pip!" the Doctor cried as he saw she had been caught around the neck. He gasped as he saw the long thick fingers with the sharpened nails and the dead skin hanging from the bones. Pip was absolutely petrified by now, and she began screaming, kicking and scratching and clawing and biting at her captor. She was so desperate to escape it but its grip was too strong. The Doctor decided to step in, and he charged at the Slaver, ramming into it and knocking Pip free. The Slaver stumbled back and stood on the back of its cloak, tearing it all off. What was revealed was the most disgusting thing the Doctor and Pip had ever seen. Skin falling off everywhere revealing muscles and bones, almost like it was melting off. Its face was so distorted that it seemed to crumple in on itself, and Pip couldn't stand looking at it for too long.

"I thought you were extinct," the Doctor said, utterly shocked by its appearance. "You're supposed to have died millions of years ago, so how are you here now?"

"We were saved," the creature grunted, its beady black eyes staring at the Doctor. Pip was cowering behind him while all the escaping cats raced around like chickens without heads. "We were saved by the Glowing One, and it brought us here to regain our empire."

"Well, I'm here to stop you," the Doctor snarled, slowly backing away. Pip screamed again and grabbed the back of his suit, tugging him towards a doorway nearby. There'd been another Slaver sneaking up behind them and it had tried to slice the Doctor's head off. She dragged him along a corridor filled with impressive tiles depicting wars and battles and the Doctor wanted to stop and have a look at them but Pip pulled him on. He was surprised she knew the way, and wanted to ask her but the halls filled with the screeching of the Turjak and the thumping of their large feet as they charged after them.

But Pip seemed to know the way quite well, and she kept the pair well ahead of the blundering Turjak. She weaved through rooms and doors, opening secret doors the Doctor wouldn't have even thought were there. After minutes of hectic running, the pair stopped in a deserted room, a small one, and the Doctor bombarded her with questions.

"How do you know the way, Pip?" he asked, grabbing her shoulders. "What did that old woman mean when she said she was sorry what had happened to you? What's going on?"

Pip was silent for a moment before she replied softly, "You really want to know?" The Doctor nodded. Pip took a deep breath and began explaining. "I was kidnapped about six years ago. I was brought up here and they tortured me." She bit her lip and whispered, "I wanted to die."

The Doctor felt a great pity for her, and touched her shoulder but she shrugged it off, as if saying she didn't want his sympathy.

"Chari came and rescued me," Pip continued sadly, "but she couldn't erase what they'd done to me. I was so grateful to her that I vowed to obey everything she told me to do, but then she began acting just like the Slavers. They did horrible things to me. They beat me, cut me and burnt me but I never gave up hope. I knew Chari would come for me, and she did." Tears were falling now, and the Doctor stared at her. "I owe her my life, and I'll sacrifice my own life for hers."

"Oh, Pip," the Doctor said, feeling the urge to hug her. But he knew she'd reject it and pretend like she'd be fine. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry. What they did was unforgivable-"

"It's not like anything can be done, though, can it?" Pip asked solemnly. "You can't repair what they did, or what they took, and I understand that. But what I don't understand was why they did it."

"But it's the easiest thing in the world to answer," Chari suddenly spoke up, stepping out of the shadows. She was wearing a dark blue robe and a headdress of purple and black, clearly signifying the nitro-psymiosa. She grinned evilly at her sister and Pip seemed to stop working, like a broken clock. "How can someone as clever as you not understand why we needed it? It simply amazes me!"

Pip grit her teeth and growled out, "Get out of her body.

Chari just laughed. "What are _you_ going to do about it? You're just a poor frightened little kitten cast out by her clan because of her difference."

"I can do this!" Pip yelled and surged forward, catching her sister off guard. They tumbled to the floor and Pip began scratching her face, neck and chest.

"Get her off me!" Chari screamed, and four Turjak appeared. Two grabbed Pip and held her aloft whole the other two secured the Doctor and forced him to his knees. Chari staggered to her feet and hissed at her sister loathingly. "You just had to ruin my face, didn't you?" she asked. Her face was covered in scratches and bleed tears, and they looked as if they'd be permanent. "No worries; I'll just have to find a new body."

"What are you?" the Doctor asked, drawing attention to himself.

"My, my," Chari said, smiling and gliding towards him. "If it isn't the Doctor. I thought you would be with her, seeing as how you two are thick as thieves."

"Answer my question," he growled and she stiffened a bit, seeing the death in his eyes.

"I am what you'd a toxin. I get breathed into the lungs, then absorbed into the blood stream, and slowly I make my way to the brain. Then I start reorganising thoughts and feelings until the host is completely different. That's when I pass onto the next host, until everyone is the same."

"You're turning her into a Turjak," the Doctor figured out, his eyes widening slightly. "That's why you chose her, so you could control her and the clan. But why? Why do you want to turn the clan into Turjak? What the purpose?"

"Simply, there is no purpose. I am just here to ensure that my creators carry on."

"But _why_?"

"So I can live on, of course. Why else? Besides, I quite like having a host. I get to feel all these interesting things, like hate, anger-"

"Love," Pip said suddenly, still hanging from the two Turjak. Chari regarded her curiously. "That's what you feel when you see certain things," she continued. "Like when you look at me."

Chari laughed mockingly, clasping her hands together and looking at the Turjak. "Drop her," she commanded, and they did. Chari walked over to her sister, and squatted down beside her, stroking her dirty hair. "You're wrong," she said, just loud enough for the Doctor to hear. "This body has no feeling of love for you, absolutely none. She hates having to look after you, and wishes you were dead. And I'm going to give her that luxury." She withdrew a long sharp dagger from her robe and holding it above her head, aimed it at Pip's crown.

"Liar!" Pip shouted, her voice reverberating off the walls. Chari and the Doctor stared at her, and both saw the determination in her gold eyes. She got to her feet, now taller than her sister and clenched her fists. "Chari may hate looking after me, but she'd never want me or anyone dead! You just want to make me lose hope, but I won't! I love my sister, and I want her back."

Chari was silent as she slowly rose to stand straight, and she smirked, gripping the dagger tighter. "You know, I do believe we need to let the Doctor find out the truth about you, Hypipsan."

Pip screamed in protest and tried to back away but two Turjak grabbed her and held her steady. The Doctor struggled in his captors grip, thinking Chari was going to kill her sister but he didn't have to worry. Chari only sliced off Pip's outer garments, and that's when it hit him: it was her clothes that made her different. While every other cat wore singlets and pants, Pip wore a long cloak that covered her entirely. He watched as it fell to the ground, and frowned when he saw the normal clothing a cat there would wear.

"No, please!" Pip screamed, trying to struggle free of the Turjak.

But Chari ignored her. "Let him go," she ordered, and the Doctor was dropped. He got to his feet just as Pip was thrown to the ground and she rolled to a stop at his feet, lying stomach down. The Doctor's eyes widened as he saw what was missing, and he stood paralysed with disgust and horror.

"Pip," he said faintly. "Your tail…it's not there."

- - -

Yeah, like it wasn't bloody obvious she had no tail. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this and the mistakes can kiss my arse 'cause I cannot be fucked to edit them. See? There is swearing.

Please review this story; you'll make me happy, I promise. And I would still like to know if you want another episode.


	3. The Plunge

All right, we left on a 'cliff hanger' (pffft

All right, we left on a 'cliff hanger' (pffft!) and now it's the last chapter. I do believe I shall continue this series, just because I have some good ideas for it. If you don't like it, kiss my arse and get over it.

- - -

It was so alien to see her without a tail, as the Doctor had gotten quite used to walking around people with tails. But there she lay, tailless and sobbing. Pip sat cowering in front of her possessed sister while the Doctor was held in place by two Turjak. Chari was grinning manically down at her petrified sister, a long dagger held at the ready.

"Chari," Pip whimpered, tears trickling down her cheeks. "Please, I'm your sister."

"Exactly," Chari said wickedly. "You're in the way of the plan. You have to be destroyed so everyone else can prosper on this planet."

"But you'll all die!" the Doctor yelled, fighting his captors. "Nitro-psymiosa is in your system, and it's manipulating you. Chari, you need to fight it! Your sister needs you!"

He could see Chari wavering, her eyes changing from purple to golf and then back to purple. She was fighting the parasite for her sister, and now the Doctor knew what drove her.

"Pip doesn't want you to be like this anymore," he said, his eyes becoming soft. "She just wants her sister back, and she wants you to stop being controlled by the nitro-psymiosa."

It was a mistake to say the last part, as the controlling fiend became angry. "No!" it yelled through Chari. "This cat needs me to become stronger, just like she wanted. And she hates having to look after her pathetic outcast sister! She wants her dead, and I'm giving her that luxury!"

"Liar!"

The Doctor looked at Pip, who had now risen to her feet. Tears of determination fell, and she had her hands clenched. She was staring at Chari, who was the perfect image of shock.

"Chari might hate looking after me, but he would never want me or a_nyone_ dead! You're just trying to get everyone to lose hope so we'll submit easier, but _I_ won't! I know my sister better than anyone, and you're just a manipulative little life form, too weak to have a body of its own!"

Chari seemed to be unable to digest what pip had just yelled at her, but then her purple eyes turned angry and she growled, clenching her hands till her claws cut into her flesh.

"Take them to the dungeon!" she ordered, and two Turjak grabbed Pip. "Wait!" Chari yelled, and they stopped. She slinked up to her sister and smiled wickedly. "He's going to leave you now that he's seen what you really are," she whispered in Pip's ear, and the tailless cat froze. "Take them away."

The pair were carried back to the dungeons, Pip hanging loose in her captors' claws. The Doctor felt a great deal of remorse for her, and waned to comfort her but it was like his words were bouncing right off her. They were thrown into a low cage and locked in, and immediately Pip crawled into the corner furthest from the Doctor and huddled into a tight ball.

"Pip," the Doctor said softly. "I-"

"It's all right," she cut in, her voice muffled by her knees. She had turned her side on him, and her head was facing away from him, her black hair cascading down her back in a tangle of knots. "Just go and find your blue box. I'll be fine."

The Doctor was baffled to say the least, and he opened his mouth to ask her why she was so cold now. "Pip, why would I leave?"

Pip sniffed and replied grimly, "That's what everyone else does when they find out. They leave, saying I'll bring a curse on them if they stay near." She shifted against the cage bars and sighed softly. "Just go," she said again, this time her voice breaking.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and unlocked the door. Pip pulled her legs in tighter and he heard her whimper softly. He crawled out and then turned around, leaning against the open doors. "Are you coming?" he asked, and smiled when her head snapped up. "Or would you rather rot in this place?"

Pip paused, as if uncertain how to act, but then she shot out of the cell and almost knocked him over with a barrel hug. The Doctor could feel her still shaking but she seemed a little better than before.

"Thank you," she whispered, and he smiled.

"Come on," the Doctor said, taking her hand and pulling her towards the dungeon door. "We need to find the TARDIS before this planet implodes."

"How do we stop Chari?" asked Pip as they raced along the empty corridors. "She's going to destroy the planet!"

The Doctor stopped and turned to face her, his eyes solemn. He hadn't wanted to tell her the bad news but since she asked, and since it involved her family, he was obligated to. "I'm sorry," he said, and Pip's hope was extinguished almost immediately. "I'm so sorry but there's nothing we can do. Chari ash to fight the parasite by herself."

Pip nodded and dropped his hand, reaching up under her shirt. She withdrew a long thin strip of black material and gripped it tightly. "I'll make her fight," she said firmly. "This will help me."

"How?"

"Never you mind," she answered darkly. "Go find your blue box and then you get out of here." She then raced away to find her sister.

The Doctor was torn between following her and finding the TARDIS, hopping from foot to foot for a few minutes. Reluctantly, he chose the latter and hurried off, wary of patrolling Turjak. He had no trouble finding his time machine, as it was stationed in a large marble auditorium, positioned right in the centre. He made his way over to it and opened the doors. He was about to close them when he heard someone scream. Out he came as fast as lightning, the doors hutting by themselves, and sprinted off in the direction the scream had come from.

He came to another larger hall and saw that two Turjak lay dead and one was dying. There was a bloodied dagger lying beside an injured creature, and it screeched in pain. Another scream had him racing for an ajar side door and he slammed through it. He emerged into a large cavern, stalactites hanging from the roof. He was standing on a carved out walkway, hanging above a few hundred feet of air and fire, and it didn't look exactly stable. There were bumps and jutting out rocks everywhere, and one false step would see him falling to his death. Up ahead he could see Pip and Chari struggling against each other, and he took off down the rocky walkway.

He came to a stop a few feet behind the pair, and watched as Pip ducked under her sister's flailing arms. She managed to climb onto Chari's back and tied the material over her eyes, blinding her and forcing her to stop moving.

"Listen to me, Chari!" Pip yelled, pulling the knots tighter. "Hear my voice and do as I say! Fight the parasite and come back! You have to fight it and lead the clan to safety! Please, Chari!"

The older sister ceased struggling and remained still, her arms still up and clinging to the material. "Pip?" she asked, and the Doctor realised she was herself. Pip had done it! "Pip, what's going on? The last thing I remember was us finding the plan, fighting and then this purple light. Then there was nothing but blackness. What happened?"

"You have a parasite in you," explained Pip, keeping the material tight. "You were taken over and started acting so different. But this parasite, it came from the nitro-psymiosa, from the plan, and it's making you destroy our home. It's going to kill the clan, and expand its empire outwards. Chari, you must fight it!"

"How, though? I don't even know where we are!" She paused and then spoke softly. "Why don't you take off the blindfold? It's me, so you have nothing to fear."

Pip hesitated, and was about to but then she thought better of it and tightened it, making Chari gasp. "No," Pip stated firmly. "The parasite will take over you again, and I'm _not_ going to lose you to it again."

"So I'm supposed to stay blindfolded for the rest of my life?" exclaimed Chari. She began fighting against Pip; clearly the parasite was taking over again. "I think not!"

But Pip wouldn't let go; she stayed glued to her sister's back, keeping the blindfold in place, and, Chari had to stop moving around in case she fell. The Doctor was amazed by Pip's bravery and determination to see her sister set free of the parasite, and he admired the fact she was doing all in her power to do that. _She must really love her_, he thought, and smiled at the thought.

"Get off me!" Chari yelled, trying to grab Pip in any way.

"Not until you give me back my sister!" Pip screamed in her ear, and Chari screamed in pain. The whole cavern shook, and the light coming from below turned bright purple. There was a whole pool of nitro-psymiosa being filtered by the machine, and it was going to erupt soon if the Doctor didn't do something. Pip fell from Chari's back as another tremor shook the cavern, and the admiral whirled around, baring her fangs and claws.

"You're going to die," she hissed, spitting at Pip as the young cat rolled onto her feet. "I'm going to feed the rest of you into the nitro-psymiosa and then rise to victory."

"Yeah, about that," the Doctor said, speaking up. Pip had known he was there, because she'd smelt him, but Chari was startled by his presence. "How come _you're_ in control of the Turjak? I mean, they created you and everything but then you start giving orders. And I wanna know why." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared at her. "Care to spill?"

Chari seemed put out by his question, but she obliged to tell him. "They aren't smart enough," she spat, her eyes glowing purple. "They need a higher intelligence to guide them, command them and keep them alive. If I hadn't come along, they would have been wiped from the face of the universe millennia ago."

"Yes, but _how_?"

"I adapted by studying the slaves," responded Chari in a bored tone. "Then I'd devour them. In the early days, they were quite a fantastic group of specimen, full of life and fight. But these days they're just scared and don't even put up a fight when I take their children to become my food. All they did was cry and crumple, so they had to go."

"Why do you need the nitro-psymiosa?" asked the Time Lord, running his hands frantically through his hair. "Why are you bent on destroying this planet?"

"Oh, I'm not going to _destroy_ this planet, goodness no! Why would I do that, when it's going to be turned into my new home? It just doesn't make sense, does it?"

"But that's unfair!" Pip yelled, flexing her fingers and preparing for a fight. "This is not your planet, and yet you want to take it and turn everything here evil! From what he's told me, you lost your planet a long time ago! You had your chance at surviving, and you failed, so let us try!"

Chari just chortled, and then surged forward, scratching Pip's stomach. If the younger sister hadn't doubled over to avoid the blow, she would have died. She returned the strike and nicked Chari's shoulder, making her hiss in anger. They sprang forward and clashed, each receiving blows from the other everywhere. The cavern was shaking violently now, and the Doctor was having trouble staying on his feet. He wondered how the sisters were staying upright, but then he remembered they were cats, or had cat blood running through their veins. Out of nowhere, an injured Turjak flew past the Doctor and tackled Pip over the edge of the walkway; she screamed and dug her nails into the rock. The Turjak kept falling and there was a faint splash as it landed far below in the boiling nitro-psymiosa.

"Now you die!" Chari screamed hysterically and stepped on Pip's right hand.

"Chari!" the young human cat called pleadingly, and watched as Chari's foot came up to squash her other hand. "Chari, I just want you to know that I am so grateful of you. All you've ever done is protect me from everything, and I love you." She smiled. "I really do."

Chari's foot stopped a few millimetres from Pip's hand, and just stood still. Her face was blank, and she seemed to be a statue. Taking the moment of chance, Pip hauled herself up onto solid ground and stood up panting. She looked at her stiff sister and frowned.

"What happened?" she asked the Doctor, who seemed just as puzzled.

"If I'm not mistaken," he replied, walking closer and shining his sonic screwdriver in Chari's eyes, "I'd say she's fighting the parasite." He grinned at Pip. "And winning. Look." He pointed to her eyes as the curious cat walked over, and peered into her eyes. They were slowly turning back to gold, and she smiled at this. "She heard you, pip, and is doing all she can to fight it. Can't you see her hands shaking?"

"I see it," Pip whispered, awed. "She actually listened to me. That's never happened before, at least not in the last few years."

"That's a good sign, Pip, that she's listening to you. We need to get her to my ship so I can run a diagnostic on her and to create some sort of chemical to disable the nitro-psymiosa. I wonder if the compounds should be some of-"

"Doctor," Pip interrupted. "Turjak are coming and we need to get out of here. Can you carry her?"

"I don't know," he replied, teasing her. "She looks a bit heavy."

"She'd have hurt you if you said that and she heard."

"Then it's a good thing she is unable to hear me right now, or anything thing else." He picked Chari up and slung her over his shoulder, her body going limp, and Pip led the way out of the cavern. Below, the nitro-psymiosa was growing uneasy and becoming impatient. It was fighting its way up to the brim of the pool and over it, spilling along a path and burning through the rock. It was building up by itself, and it would be ready to kill everything in a few hours. It was going to destroy the whole universe, even if it meant draining all the power it had accumulated.

- - -

Pip was watching the Doctor as he scurried around trying to find the right chemicals and ingredients for his disabling liquid. He was a bit frantic, muttering to himself and sometimes even yelling at a rack of chemicals. It was quite amusing to her, and she decided that watching him was more interesting than watching her sister's inner fight. All she did was lie on the floor, unmoving and utterly oblivious to the world. She didn't blink, and Pip had to close her eyes in case they dried out too much.

"I knew I had it somewhere," the Doctor was shouting in frustration. "I had it in my hand and I put it down-"

"It's in the rack in front of you," Pip called out, pointing. "Third from the left."

"Aha!" The Doctor pounced on the ingredient, a green slimy liquid, and then poured it into an almost full beaker. "Now I just have to heat it and we're all done!" He turned to Pip, who was smiling slightly at his odd behaviour. "How did you know it was that one? I was carrying all those test tubes around; you couldn't have known."

"I can tell," Pip said mysteriously.

"Oh, yeah?" asked the Doctor sceptically. "How?"

"I have a greater sense of smell than you, Doctor, and your disabling chemical didn't smell right until you added that one. Its smell was right."

"I must say," the Doctor announced, sitting next to her, "I don't think I've ever met a race of cats quite like yours. Who were your ancestors?"

"I don't know," Pip answered, embarrassed. "I never liked the past, so I always skipped classes. Chari would know."

"Well, unfortunately, she's a little caught up trying to eradicate a toxic parasite. She'll be like that for another couple of minutes, just to let you know."

"As long as she returns to normal, I'm willing to wait until I'm old."

"Excuse my curiosity, but how old are you? You can't be more than 30, right?"

"What, you think I'm a kitten?" Pip asked incredulously, clearly offended. "I'll have you know I'm almost 197, so I'm nowhere near being a kitten! Do I _look_ like a kitten to you?"

"No," the Doctor replied seriously. "You look like a young woman with no connection to being a cat. And your age is _phenomenal_! 197, you're catching up to me! Though, you still have a lot of catching up to do! I'm almost 974!"

"Be serious," Pip said scoldingly. "You _can't_ be that old."

"And why not? You're 197, so why can't I be 973?"

"Because you don't look 973! You look more like 259, and even then it's still a bit too old."

"I really look that young?" the Doctor asked, touching his cheek to feel the skin. He could feel a slight layer of stubble coming through, and decided to shave when he had finished saving this planet.

"To me you do," Pip replied, pulling up her legs and pressing them against her chest. "My father was almost 420 when he died, and he didn't look a day older than 350."

"What about your mother?" the Doctor asked.

"Well, she died giving birth to my little brother, but he died a few days later when my grandmother was holding him and had a heart attack and dropped him. Father was very distraught at that time, but he carried on and got us to where we are today."

"Yes," the Doctor said sarcastically. "Today, you're battling your own sister who is currently possessed by a parasite that shouldn't exist and who is controlling a large group of Turjak, who also should not exist." He gave her a deadpanned look. "He led you into a fantastic era, Pip."

"It wasn't always like this, you know. Father used to tell stories about our ancestors time, when we were visited by masses of aliens and we were at peace with the Slavers. I told you before that we used to live in one great big city until it was destroyed by the Turjak."

"That just doesn't add up for me," the Doctor said, and Pip looked at him thoughtfully.

"What? The fact that the Turjak landed here only a few centuries ago yet we were living with them?"

"Yes…how did you know?" he asked in exasperation.

"Well, the Slavers are different from the Turjak. The Slavers have a real name, the Milestropans, and they looked like the Turjak, with the height and all."

"Pip, what are you saying?"

"The Turjak killed the Milestropans a few hundred years ago, and then pretended to be them. They turned the true Milestropans into a nightmare, all for the sake of keeping us hidden underground and under their control."

The Doctor stared at her, his face glowing with pride. He thought she hadn't figured it out, and he certainly didn't think she had that much insight. "Well, I'll be," he said, smiling at her. "You're brilliant!" he cried, startling her. "Dear little Pip, I don't think I have ever met anyone with the brain capacity to figure out something that complicated without all the clues. And who says you're dumb?"

"Who?" she asked, thinking he was asking her to guess.

"What who?" the Doctor asked, puzzled.

"Who says I'm dumb?" Pip asked.

"I don't know," he said in a small voice. "Nubell?"

"Why would he call me dumb? He doesn't know anything about me; no one does. They don't like knowing me or having me around so they never find anything out." She looked a little sad, but the Doctor was determined to keep her spirits up.

"All _right_!" he cried, startling her again. He stood up and went to the TARDIS' control panel, where he began flicking switches and turning levers. "Let's go down to the ruins and find out some information!" He shut his jaw with a snap, and Pip laughed at his absurdity.

"You're odd," she said, resting her chin on her knees. "I was right in saying you smelled off." Her gold eyes danced with mirth as the Doctor pouted and flipped ones last toggle before the TARDIS began to shake and hum with life. Pip was a little frightened, and the hair on her back and neck stood up on end. Her claws automatically came out and she gripped the chair material with them, tearing holes in them. The Doctor was holding onto a controller attached to the control panel, and he was grinning like a madman. When the TARDIS stopped, Pip was still riveted to her spot, her eyes wide and her teeth clenched firmly, visible by her dry lips.

The Doctor looked at her and began laughing, wandering over and standing in front of her. She stared ahead, the hair on her back and neck slowly lying down, and she sighed and relaxed.

"You okay?" he called to her, and she stared into his eyes. Nodding, she leapt off the chair and rushed to the door, throwing it open and rushing out. The Doctor had been utterly surprised when she's shown little interest in his magnificent machine, but she'd been too busy caring for Chari. Although, once that was done, she'd had a little poke about, sniffing everything and running her hands over the walls and panels.

Presently, the Doctor followed Pip out and found her staring up at a large dilapidated wall. It seemed about ready to fall over, but she placed her hands on it and gave it a good shove. Nothing happened, and she smirked, patting the stonework.

"I've always liked this place," she said, pressing her ear to the wall. "It's always so nice and quite, and I can sit here without anyone turning up and abusing me."

"They abuse you?" asked the Doctor, pulling out his stethoscope and pressing it to the wall beside her ear.

"In the usual ways," she replied grimly. "Throwing things, calling me names, making fun of me. Things like that in general."

"Sounds like a lot of fun." He put his stethoscope away and then pulled out his sonic screwdriver, aiming it at the wall. Where the blue light touched it, the rock began to fizzle and hiss, and he quickly turned it off. "That is odd," he remarked to himself. "This the second time this has happened on this planet, and I have no idea why."

"It's the rocks," Pip said softly, running her fingers along the wall. "They don't want you hurting them, so they send out a warning."

"So that burning thing is the rocks warning me not to hurt them?" He gave her a dubious look but she was pressed against the stone again, smiling and patting it. "What are you doing?" he asked suspiciously and a little weirded out.

"It's alive, just like anything else. When we all lived in harmony, it used to hum with life, but then the nitro-psymiosa burned away most of its life. Now it's just a shell of its old existence, and it's dying."

"Can you help it?" the Doctor asked. He didn't like seeing passive things die, not if he could prevent it.

"It's okay," she said, closing her eyes and smiling contently. "It isn't scared of dying, just that it doesn't want me to be lonely. It doesn't want to leave for that reason. But when Chari is back to normal, and the nitro-psymiosa is destroyed, I won't be lonely." She laughed under her breath as if the ruins had just told a joke, and opened her eyes to look at a baffled Doctor. "Are you ready for this?" she asked, stepping to his side and watching the walls.

"What am I ready for?" he asked, watching them as well. He could feel the air tingling with life, and watched in amazement as a yellow light began emitting from the walls.

"There it goes," Pip whispered, glowing under the yellow light. "The last life of the ruins and all their greatness. Amazing, isn't it?"

"Yeah," the Doctor said faintly. Then a struck thought him, and he hit his forehead hard. "Oh, I was so blind!" he yelled. "This is very bad, Pip! He have to get the disabling chemical to heat up faster or else everyone will die!"

"Why? What is it?" Pip chased after him and stood at his side as he turned up the heat and the now orange liquid began to bubble.

"The life force of the ruins," the Doctor explained as he began turning nozzles and flicking switches. "It's going to cause a reaction in the nitro-psymiosa, and the toxin is going to expand so rapidly that it'll swallow everything up _unless_ we get _this_ into it!"

"Will we make it in time?"

"Of course we will!" he shouted enthusiastically at her. "Where's your hope, Pip? Hope in me!" He fired up the TARDIS and it took them back to the auditorium connected to the cavern. The planet was shaking and the ground was very unstable to walk on.

"Is it ready?" Pip yelled to him from the TARDIS' interior. "It's turned bright orange!"

"Excellent!" the Doctor cried, and rushed inside to get it. Chari was stirring on the floor, and Pip kneeled by her side, clutching her hand.

"I'll be right back," Pip said softly, and kissed her forehead. There was a strange lingering tingling feeling on her lips, but she ignored it and sprinted after the Doctor, who was preparing the chemical nearby. "What's it called?" she asked, and he looked at her.

"What, this?" He held up the beaker and she nodded. "Nothing, really. Just a chemical made to destroy nitro-psymiosa. Why? Should it have a name?"

"It couldn't hurt," she replied with a shrug.

The Doctor thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. "I know!" he cried. "I'll name it after you!"

"You will not," she shot back, and he deflated visibly. "Just call it anti-matter or something. 'Anti-psymiosa'?"

"It'll have to do," he said, smiling at her and then racing off to the cavern, Pip hot on his heels. They reached the cavern and had to stop due to the gathering of Turjak. They all seemed fairly peeved to see the pair, and Pip gasped. "Ah," the Doctor said, stepping back slowly. "I was hoping you lot would be somewhere else."

"Well, clearly they aren't." Upon hearing that voice, Pip whirled around and lost her footing. She stared up at her approaching sister, and felt like crying as she saw the cold and purple eyes glaring down at her. "You thought that little speech would stop _me_, did you?" the parasite asked, all patience gone. It now wanted blood, and it was going to start with Pip's.

"But, you were winning!" Pip cried desperately. "Chari, you were winning!"

"For a second she was, but then you kissed her forehead and I returned." Pip paled to a ghastly chalky white, and her throat went dry. "You see, your tail was the tastiest morsel I've ever had, and I tasted you again when you kissed her. It brought me back, so I thank you. Now," it continued, moving Chari's body forward and snatching the beaker from the Doctor. "This stuff is quite dangerous, but you'll never get it to do its job. It's going to be destroyed, along with you and that snivelling little kitten over there." She stood in front of the eight Turjak and smiled wickedly. "Kill them," she commanded, and the creatures rushed to obey.

Pip leapt to her feet, driven by some unknown power, and stood in front of the Doctor, her claws sparkling in the purple glow. Her fangs were quite impressive, sharp and ling enough to rip throats out, but the scariest thing about her was her eyes; they seemed to burn if you looked at them too long.

"How noble," the parasite sneered. "But a pointless none-the-less."

"To you, maybe, but I've learnt something." Pip stood tall and proud, her eyes meeting her possessed sister's firmly.

"Oh, finally!" quipped the parasite. "Took you long enough!"

"I learnt that no matter how bad things can get, there's always hope. And there's hope for you, too, Chari; you just need to see it for yourself."

"Pip," Chari whispered, her eyes gold.

"No!" she yelled, her eyes now purple again.

"Chari!" Pip yelled as the first Turjak reached her. Her hand moved faster than the Doctor could see, mainly because he was watching Chari, and the Turjak's brown blood seeped from its sliced throat. Another fell a few seconds later as she again sliced its throat, and the Doctor was amazed by her precision at fighting. "Chari!" Pip yelled again. "Come back!"

"She'll never come back, you pathetic little furball!" the parasite screamed at her, but Pip wouldn't give up. Two more fell by her claws a few seconds later but she was fast losing energy, and adrenaline only got you so far. There were three left by the time Pip was on her knees, panting and generally weak.

"Chari," she called meekly. "Don't do it, for the clan's sake."

As a Turjak raised its clawed hand to strike, and as the Doctor launched forward to deflect the blow, Chari screamed in defiance and gripped the beaker tightly, her eyes once again golden.

"Stop!" she yelled at the Turjak, who obeyed. Pip sagged with relief and the Doctor caught her as she pitched sideways. She was still conscious, her eyes glued to Chari's normal features, and she was smiling so happily. Chari looked down at her little sister and smiled, but her smile was rueful and saddened. "Pip," she said, walking slowly forward, the beaker clutched in both hands, "I can't win against it. It's too deep in, and it's slowly taking back control. I…" She gulped and tears formed in her eyes. "I'm going to sacrifice myself," she said firmly, and Pip shot up to her feet. The cavern began to quake, and Chari smiled. "I upset the plan," she murmured. "It doesn't want to die, and neither do I, really. But I will for the clan, for the planet, and for you, Pip."

"No!" Pip yelled and tried to launch forward but the Doctor held her arms.

"Doctor," Chari said, and his eyes locked onto hers. "You know, don't you? You know that I'll never be able to fight the parasite, not now that's its original form is so powerful." She cried out in pain and gritted her teeth, her left eye slowly turning purple. "Look after Pip for me, please," she said, and looked back at her sister. "I love you, Pip," she said, and then leapt over the side of the walkway.

"No!" Pip screamed at the top of her lungs, and the Doctor had to redouble his efforts to keep her secure. There was nothing for a second, and then a big explosion knocked the pair off their feet. "Chari!" Pip sobbed, burying her face in her hands. "No, no, no, no, _no_!"

"Pip, we have to go!" The Doctor got to his feet and then dragged her to hers. "This whole mountain is going to erupt, and we need to leave."

Already the nitro-psymiosa was beginning to fold in on itself and change colours, and the Doctor knew from experience that that was never a good sign. The mountain was rumbling, and the walkway was beginning to erode.

"Pip!" the Doctor yelled, grabbing her arm and dragging her along. They barged through the cavern door just as the walkway gave way completely, and hurried for the TARDIS, waiting patiently for them. He pushed Pip into a chair and began pushing levers and turning knobs and rearranging certain calculations. Then, he hit one particular button and the TARDIS shuddered into action, humming and whirring away. Pip was balled up on the chair, sobbing and shuddering, and the Doctor couldn't do anything to help her. The TARDIS stopped moving and the Doctor put the handbrake on, his eyes remaining on Pip's shaking form.

"Pip," he said softly, and she looked at him, her eyes red raw.

"Why did you stop me?" she shrieked accusingly. "I could have saved her, but you didn't let me! And now she's dead! _I hate you_!" she screamed at him, and leapt off the chair towards him. He didn't have enough time to dodge her first punch, which was more of a hard slap, but he caught her next blow. She tried to hit him with her other hand but he caught that one too, and held them firm.

"Let me go!" she shouted, struggling in his grip. From her previous exertion, she had little strength, and what she had left soon vanished. The Doctor pulled her into a hug and she bawled into the front of his suit. "She's dead," she whimpered, and sighed deeply, trying to calm herself.

"It's all right to mourn the dead," the Doctor said, as if reminding her. "You don't have to be brave for me, Pip. I know what it's like to lose everything dear, and I was depressed for a long time."

"She was all I had," Pip whispered. "She was the only kind one, and now there's no one."

"Don't worry," the Doctor said cheerfully. "Things always turn out for the best, especially when it's the darkest of times."

- - -

It had been a nightmare to tell the clan that their admiral was dead, and that she'd sacrificed herself for their sake. General Golt, who openly disliked Pip, accused her of murdering her own sister, and the cats all joined in, blaming her. Pip just stood where she was, still as a statue and blank. The Doctor stood beside her, his hand resting on her shoulder and when General Golt tried to grab her, the Time Lord punched him. Straight after though, he began shaking his fist and making hurt noises.

"I'm not one for violence," he said as he nursed his red hand, "but this cat risked everything she had to defend you lot. And she lost her sister because of that. Chari was Pip's most treasured gift, and she had to watch her die. Why would she murder her? There's no sense to it! You owe her an apology!"

"I'll _never_ apologise to that _abomination_!" Golt roared, clutching his bruised cheek. "She is a disgrace to the cat clan, and must be shunned because of that!"

"She had her tail cut off, you dolt!" the Doctor yelled at him. "It's not like she chose to be born without one, or to have to suddenly drop off! How you people be so blind to her goodness?"

"Her goodness, you say," someone called from the crow. "She doesn't even stay around to hear the nice things you say about her!"

The Doctor turned around and found no Pip anywhere. She had slipped away into her secret tunnels, her depression ruling over her actions.

"Pip!" the Doctor yelled and ran off to find her.

He searched everywhere, even in the waste area, but she was nowhere to be found. He had been searching for hours and he finally gave up and sat down outside a tiny cave. He sighed, running his hand through his already dishevelled hair, and closed his eyes.

"I know where she'll be," said the voice of an old woman. The Doctor opened his eyes and before him stood the old cat from the dungeons. She looked like she was struggling just to walk, but stubbornly refused to sit when offered. "She'll have gone up to the surface to get some fresh air and a clear head. That's what she used to do when her parents yelled at her, or someone teased her. You'll find her up there."

"Thank you!" the Doctor called as he raced off. He stopped only once to retrieve his favourite cloak, and soon he arrived at the surface. It was dawn, and the sky was amazingly clear, crimson in colour. Scanning the surrounding areas, the Doctor spotted his TARDIS and then a small figure sitting atop a large boulder next to it, staring up at the sky.

When he reached the boulder, Pip sniffed and looked down at him, her eyes full of life now. He smiled up at her and climbed up to sit next to her.

"I've been looking for you," he said, crossing his legs. "For hours! I nearly fell into a pile of-"

"I wanted to thank you," Pip interrupted. "I wasn't thinking clearly back at the palace, and if you hadn't restrained me, I would have died."

"It's fine," the Doctor said, smirking. They sat in silence for a few minutes until the Doctor asked, "What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know," Pip replied, staring ahead at the bleak scenery. "Probably wither away here, alone and broken. General Golt will assume command of the clan, and they'll be no place there in the caves."

"Golt the Dolt," the Doctor said, making her laugh. After a few minutes of silence, he said nervously, "You know, there's always another choice. Do you…I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to, but I was just wondering if maybe…you wanted to…come with me?"

Pip was silent a few minutes, pondering, and then she smiled. "Sure," she said. "There's nothing for me here, is there, so what's the point in staying?"

"Really?" the Doctor asked. He had been so nervous she's say no that he hadn't really considered her saying yes. "Great! Excellent! Need time to pack?"

"No," Pip said, getting to her feet and then helping him up. "Just get me off this rock, Doctor, and I'll be a happy cat."

- - -

Hey, hey! It's fucking done! All right, that was the first 'episode' and the next chapter is the first part of the second. Probably the third 'episode' will be set on Earth, so be happy Earthlings! More drama for you to get your knickers knotted around.


End file.
